Communique – January 2026

Greetings and Happy New Year from the ISSO!

In this issue:

Compliance Reminders for Administrative Contacts and Supervisors

The ISSO handles complex compliance and immigration processing for over 1,200 faculty, staff and researchers at BU every year. We rely heavily on our department contacts, both administrators and supervisors, to partner with us to ensure institutional compliance as they are our “source of truth” for most of the details required throughout the sponsorship process and overall employment of foreign national employees at BU.  During a time of increased scrutiny and audits, we count on you to provide accurate details about the BU appointment/employment. Further, each sponsorship request to the ISSO requires three levels of review and approval before we will proceed with any immigration processing. You can review the required departmental attestations on our Form A (see pages 2-3)

The issuance or receipt by the ISSO of a Form I-797 approval notice (e.g., H-1B, O-1, TN, E-3) or a Form DS-2019 (J-1) authorizes the individual to engage in employment or activities at BU only under the specific terms described in the petition or sponsorship request. While the required reporting and regulatory requirements vary by immigration classification it is important to connect with the ISSO in advance of any of the following:

  • Change of salary (reduction or increase)
  • Change in work hours (full-time equivalency or other)
  • Change in job title or addition of job duties
  • Change in funding from BU to non-BU or vis versa
  • Addition or change to worksite (including approval or change to a flexible work arrangement)
  • Leave of absence and faculty sabbaticals
  • End of employment (resignation or other)

Please review our website for immigration sponsorship guidelines and guidance about assisting new and current scholars/employees. In addition, you can find information about upcoming administrator trainings and/or video or reach out to your scholar advisor with any questions or to arrange a customized training for you and your team.

Expanded Travel Ban and Enhanced Application Screening

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the US Department of State (DOS) continue to expand the screening and vetting process for foreign nationals.

Updated and Expanded Travel Ban: Last month, the DOS updated and added additional countries to the entry/travel ban. This ban suspends visa processing and entry to the US for international students and scholars/employees from 39 designated countries as well as those with documents authorized by Palestinian Authorities if they do not already have a valid visa to enter the US.

Enhanced Application Screening for Travel Ban Designated Countries:  USCIS recently announced a pause in the processing of applications for changes, extensions and benefits of status for individuals impacted by the recent changes to the travel ban, in order to push applicants through enhanced vetting and higher eligibility standards.  This pause will apply to H petitions submitted on behalf of BU employees from the designated countries as well as for graduates from US degree programs who are applying for post completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM OPT. It is unclear how long this pause will remain in place, how it might impact prior USCIS approvals and what new vetting measures will be implemented.

Scholars and employees impacted by the travel ban and more recent pauses in immigration processing are urged to work closely with their ISSO scholar advisor to strategize how this could impact them. Further, we recommend that hiring departments with impacted employees initiate immigration processing with the ISSO as early as possible. We will be reaching out individually to scholars/employees  who may be impacted and will involve the hiring unit as appropriate. Please see our news for more details about this recent change as well as other federal actions impacting foreign nationals and contact your Scholar Advisor if you have any questions.

H-1B Premium Processing Fee Increase Announced

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an increase to the Premium Processing filing fee from $2,805 to $2,965 for H-1B petitions effective March 1, 2026. Premium processing expedites the final USCIS step of an H-1B petition to 15 business days. It does not affect the required preliminary processing with the Department of Labor and ISSO, which typically takes 6–8 weeks after a complete request is received at the ISSO. Because regular USCIS processing currently takes 5–6 months or longer, premium processing is often necessary—especially for employees needing a change of status to H-1B to avoid employment interruptions. In some cases, regular processing may be sufficient and preferred.

All standard USCIS H-1B fees are centrally funded and covered by ISSO. The premium processing fee is not covered and is typically paid by the host department; in limited cases, the employee may be permitted to pay. As part of the initial case review, ISSO will advise whether premium processing is required or optional. For more details, see general premium processing information or contact your ISSO scholar advisor.

We appreciate your continued support!